Stop Calling Me by Shakaya

'Stop Calling Me' was the most successful single from Shakaya, peaking on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 5 in 2002 and awarded platinum status.

In early 2000, Australia’s R‘n’B (rhythm and blues) music scene was actually petering out. It was the decade before – in the 90’s – that the international era of contemporary (urban pop) R‘n’B was in full swing. Australia was part of this movement with bands and musicians like Deni Hines, Kulcha and CBD.

At the tail end of this trend, Australia experienced a fleeting surge of the quintessential powerful R‘n’B girl band. Bardot briefly stepped into the spotlight, officially disbanding in 2002, the year that Shakaya entered. Their debut single, 'Stop Calling Me', is a primary example: its lyrics tell the story of declining the relentless calls of desperate ‘wanna-be’ boyfriends.

The song itself illustrates the rhythms and melodies typical of popular 90’s R‘n’B with one exception. Auto-tune is used heavily as a voice effect, processing its sound to extreme metallic tones as opposed to its traditional use as pitch correction. This method was first used in the very late 90s; today its sound is well known within R‘n’B and pop music. 'Stop Calling Me’ was released late enough that auto-tune’s influence had reached Australian shores and Cairns-based producer Reno Nicastro.

NFSA title (image): 598839